homeward bound

We finally got home from the mountains last night. Poor Jarrad drove the whole way in terrible weather, which made the trip take even longer than usual. We left around Rachel's bedtime, so she slept the whole way (thank goodness). When we were driving away, it was pouring snow, and there was already about 1.5 inches on the ground! Luckily, there was none on the roads, and that turned out to be the easiest part of the drive. Driving in slushy snow is much easier than driving in the dark in pouring rain. I had hoped to go shopping yesterday afternoon (there are some outlet stores near PopPop and Uma's house), but there really wasn't time, and I did not like the thought of taking Rachel out in a blizzard! She probably would have loved it, but it would have stressed us out.

Yesterday was a dreary day all over our state, I believe. I couldn't shake sleepiness all day. Rachel woke up at 5:30am, but went back to sleep until 7:15am, at which time PopPop and Uma took over while Jarrad and I got to continue sleeping. I finally got up at 8:45am. I haven't really slept in like that since before Rachel was born, and it was so nice. In spite of the extra sleep, and maybe because of it (maybe my body got a hint of sleep recovery?), I was sleepy all day. I took a nap in the afternoon while Rachel slept, and I dozed some on the ride home too. Jarrad is so nice to rarely make me drive on trips like this. I think it's fair, since I always get up with the baby. Even Stevens, if you ask me.

I have mixed feelings coming home from "vacation." We had such a great time relaxing and being lazy at PopPop and Uma's, but, somehow, it's always nice to get home. Rachel seemed glad to see her toys this morning. I guess going away is nice in itself, and it makes home that much sweeter too.

Rachel is getting so close to just taking off walking. She's still gaining confidence, but is getting more and more adventurous. She likes to walk next to a wall, so she can drag one hand for stability.

Progress Report

I may reinstate the chart soon. Rachel did quite well on the potty yesterday, although Saturday, I lost count of how many diapers she used. She was really busy today, too, and had a poor potty day. I think she may have used 4 or 5 diapers today. Sheesh.

cute moment

Rachel is toddling about more and more. Today, she was getting cranky and ready for her nap, when she tried to sit down right on the corner of her dresser. She whined a little and I picked her up and sat her on my lap. She began to settle down and decided to venture off my lap to play. As soon as she started crawling, her hand landed on the edge of one of her toys, flipping it up and smacking her in the lip. Her whimper turned into a betrayed cry. Poor baby!

non-toy toy of the day

Yesterday, PopPop and Uma continued creatively finding non-toys for Rachel. I think her favorite was learning to play the metal bowl drums with plastic measuring cup drumsticks.